Steering mechanism for motor-vehicles.



A. F. VIASURY.

STEERING MECHANISNI FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION min @0118,11915.

v i l d A :9 y Y l/vl/E/vro' y .1v 'l v PutentedSept. 5, 1916.

antitesi'. j

i recrear ermee.

ilLFlltED F. OF-IEW YORKQIN. Y., ASSGNOB T0 INTERNATIONAL MOTOR Y CQMPNY, OFv .NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

" To @ZZ whom t 'may concern Be it known that lf, ALFRED F. Miismir', a

' citizenoi the United States, and a resident of the borough of VManlfiattan of the city of New Yorlnin the State of New York, have invented certain new and usefui Improvements'i-n Steering'll/echanism for Motor vVehicles. of which theolloiviriGr is a s eci- 1 b dil 'iicatiom reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof.

ln present day automobile construction semi-elliptic springs are used for the front axle practically to the exclusion of ali other types and it is with steering mechanism in association with springs ci this character 'that this invention is primarilylconcerned. Semi'elliptic springs are connected to the iront axle at about their mid-points and have'their :iront eyes fastened to the Yiframe oit the chassis and their rear eyes attached pivotally 'to short links on the trame, whereby a toggle movement is permitted. ln this Way all movements of the axle relatively to the :trame are in an arc described about the relatively .tired front eye of the spring.y 0f course, this truly arcuate movement is modified to some extent by the resiliency of the spring itself. lt is now the common prac! tice to provide steering mechanism in ass@ eiation with semi-elliptic springs which is designed Without regard to the movements of the axle referred to. Such movements of the axle, resulting from irregularities in the road surface, etc., are, of course, transmitted to the steering mechanism and result in the constant movementA of the steering Wheel.

This movement is objectionable and it has been proposed to eliminate it by providing some positive locking arrangement in the steering gear 'whereby the movements of the axle are abruptly coinbated. The resulting strains on the gear are, of course, enormous.

The present invention takes into account the spring construction and the disposition oil? the axle with respect to the springv and seeks to provide a steering mechanism in\ which the movements of the axle are compensated for by reason of the construction of the steering gear, so that no strain is 1mposed on any part of the steering gear and no movement otthe steering Wheel is occasioned by the vibrations ot the axle. The

construction itself is simple in character, vont mmm Specification of Letters Patent.

in the interest of clearness.

The frame of the automobile is supported on the dead axle b through semieliiptic ysprings c disposed adjacent the ends ci the axle and having their. Vfront eyes c'. lixediy secured to the frame a and their rear eyes c2 pivotally connected to short links d which, in turn, .are pivotally connected to the frame a, these links permitting a slight toggle movement of the springs. The usual v Patented Sept. 5, 1916.4 tipplieation filed october i8, 1915. 'Serial No. 56,513. f i

described in greater Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view in stud axles e are rotatably secured in the bifurcated ends Z2 'of the dead axle andl are formed with forwardly extending steering knuckles e, the front ends of which 'are pivotally interconnected by a laterally eX- tending link f disposed in parallelism to the axle b in the usual manner.A The steering effort is applied directly to one of the steering knuckles e from a radius rod g, through a short curved'arm'., one end of which .is secured to one of the knuckles and the other end of which is connected to one end of the radius rod g, as throughl a ball and socket joint g. Thus -far, the steering mechanism is, in its essential features, of a type heretofore employed. However, the steering effort has never been applied to the steering wheels in the manner now to be described, and this improved manner, it is to be noted, is one in Which full account is taken of the movements of theaXle With relation to the frame and to the steering mechanism and the objectionable strains and movements heretofore impressed upon 'the steering gear are entirely eliminated'. In the rst place, it will be noted that the radius rod g has its rear end connected to the'link 71. through a` ball and socket joint g at a point which lies about the shaft and radius rod g is disposed so as to extend forwardly in substantial parallelism with the springs c and is connected at its iront end to a steering arm i, through a ball and socket ]o1nt, indicated at 72, which lies nearly on the axis of the front eye c of the spring c. Movement is imparted to the steering arm z' in any approved manner, as through a shaft on which is iixed a worm gear, indicated at la', which', in turn, receives its movement through a worm, indicated atl, which is carried on the usual steering post m. Rotation of the steering post m swings the arm v1 transmits the steering effort to the radius rod g, for control of the vehicle. In the illustrated embodiment, it will be noticed that the worm Z and worm gear la are mounted well forward of the axle Z ,fin order te facilitate the desirable results sought to be obtained by the remainder of the construction.

In operation, it is important that the geometrical relations of the various parts be kept in mind. In the first place, attention is to be directed to the dotted arc, indicated at C in Fig. 3, which has been described about the axis of the yeye c of the spring o with a radius equal to the distance between this axis andv the'axis of the axle. 1t is along this arc C that the axle moves under l jolting forces imparted, for instance,D by irregularlties 1n the road surface and it is to be understood that every movement of the axle causes a corresponding movement of the steering knuckle e and the short link k which is attached thereto. It is thismovement of the associated steering devices which has always been heretofore transmit ted to the steering post under the influence of the jolting axle, except Where positive locking devices have been interposed between the 4post and the axle. Not only is it objec tionable to have the steering post constantly oscillate but it is equally objectionable to employ positive locking devices to absorb the enormous strain imposed thereon by the jolting of the axle. By the present construction, neither of these objections is present. rlhe ball and socket joint g2 at the front end of the radius rod g constitutes a relatively ixed point about which the radius rod may move and the ball and socket joint.

g at the rear end of the radius rod permits such movement along an are indicated yin Fig. 3 by the reference character G.

Since the ball and socket joint g is near the axis of the axle Z) and-the ball and socket joint g2 is near the axis ot the eye c at the vfront end of the spring c and since the length of the radius rod is, therefore, ap-l proximately equal to the distance between the eye. c and the axle, it necessarily results that the arclof movement G of the end of the radius rod is nearly coincident with the arc of movement C of the axle' b, so that movement of the axle is accompanied by a corresponding movementof the ball and socket joint g at the rear end of the radius rod. In other words, the radius rod swings in harmony with the swinging of the front half of the spring c the axle b, and all movements of the axle are automatically compensated for. The radius rod has no tendency during movement oit the axle to .move axially and accordingly no strains are imposed upon any part of the steering mechanism by reason of movements of the axle and no tendency for the steering post tol oscillate is ever present. S0 far as known, this solution of the problem of strains-imposed upon the steering mechanisin by movements of the axle and movements of the steering post caused in the same way, is here presented for the first time. So long as the radius rod or equivalent element is caused' to move in mpathy with the movements of the axle a out the eye c, adequate compensation for such movements is afforded.

Rearrangements of the parts and substitution of\equivalents for the devices described may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention proswinging movement of the axle in an arc y 'about their fixed ends, and steerlng means between the eye c and slo of a construction by which the y including a radius rod pivoted at one end the springs and normally nearly on the axis through the pivoted ends of the springs and pivoted at the other end nearly on the are of movement of the axle about said pivoted ends of thev springs whereby vthe arcs 0f movement of the axle and the last named end of the radius rod practically coincide.

2. ln an automobile, in combination with at a Apoint substantially in the same hoti- ,zontal plane With the said pivoted ends of the main frame and axle, semi-elliptic springs secured to the axle and pivoted at their front ends tothe main frame to permit swinging movement of the axle in an` arc about their fixed ends, steering knuckles for the Wheels, a steering arm and a radius rod pivoted at one end to the steering arm at a point substantially in the same horizoutal the springs and normally nearly on the axis through the pvoted ends of the springs and pivoted at the other end to the steering plane with the said pivoted ends of Liemei knuckle of one of the 'Wheels nearly on the are of movement of the axle about said pivoted ends of the springs whereby the arcs of movement of the axle and the last named end of the radius rod practically coincide.

lin an automobile. in combination with the mein frame and axle, Semielliptic springs secured to the axle und pivoted at their front ends to the ma in frame to permit .swinging movement of the axle in un :irc

about their fixed ends, steering knuckles for `he Wheels, a steering post terminating at a poini'l in front of the axle, u swinging steering arm operatively connected to said post, and a radius rofl pivotelly connected at is ionl', enfl osaicl steering erm through n, bell and sockel, joint substantially in the sume horizontal plane with the said pivotecl ends of @Ehe sprngsencl normally nearly on the axis through the pvotecl ends of the springs and pivoecl et its remi end with a ball and socket joint to bhe steering knuckle of one of the Wheels nearly on the :we o'l movement of the axle about seid pifoted ends of the spiings whereby the arcs lof movement of the :mile :1nd the lest 'named encl of lille malins rod practically coincide.

This specicaion signed this 15th clnv of @Globen A. D. 1915.

'.i. F. MASUBY. 

